OBP Working Group Meeting Summary - March 2017

Oceans Beyond Piracy recently convened a meeting of 40 maritime experts in London to discuss the current state of piracy off the east and west coasts of Africa. The meeting was convened just as reports of the capture of a small tanker, MT Aris 13, en route to Mogadishu from Djibouti, were being received from Somalia. The attack marked the first hijacking of a merchant vessel since the height of Somali piracy in 2012.

The working group participants, including experts from the maritime industry, international organizations, civil society groups, and shipping nations held frank discussions focused on the coordination of international support to regional nations in four key areas for deterring piracy: (1) Operational Awareness and Response, (2) Rule of Law, (3) Vessel Self-Protection, and (4) Regional Leadership.